WAC: Plagiarism as Educational Opportunity

Plagiarism is not simple and easy to fix. In fact, research over the last 20 years has shown that "plagiarism" is really a label for very different sets of behaviors, only one of which fits the definition of academic dishonesty. While student plagiarism remains a worrisome problem, research tells us that much identifiable student plagiarism is inadvertent and unintended. This workshop, then, will focus on distinguishing among the various reasons why students plagiarize and how we can more effectively combat student plagiarism through education rather than punishment.